This month, we sat down with Joy Levin, President of Allium Research and Analytics, to learn more about her experience as a mentor during our 2016-2017 program.
This month, we sat down with Joy Levin, President of Allium Research and Analytics, to learn more about her experience as a mentor during our 2016-2017 program. Here’s what she had to say:
AMADC: How did you get started in Marketing?
Joy Levin (JL): I started out in advertising after college. I had been an English major and stayed away from anything math-related. After a few advertising jobs, I went and got my MBA and found that math, when combined with marketing, made perfect sense! My first job after my MBA was working for a marketing research supplier often used by consumer packaged goods companies. It was heavily quantitative, and a few jobs later I found myself doing qualitative as well. I still love analyzing anything and everything related to marketing and marketing strategy.
AMADC: What are you doing now?
JL: I’m a marketing research consultant. My work has involved working with a very broad set of clients: start-ups to Fortune 50, private and non-profit, you name it. I have worked with just about every target audience, from CEOs to truck drivers!
AMADC: What would you say makes you unique as a marketing researcher?
JL: I owe it to my clients to stay on top of the latest trends and technologies in marketing research, so they rely on me to make sure I am leveraging their budget for the best possible return. While the traditional tools still have a place in my toolbox, I make sure to be informed about new ways to conduct research digitally so that my clients get the best of what’s out there.
AMADC: How long you have been mentoring?
JL: I mentored for the first time this year.
AMADC: What motivated you to participate in the AMADC Mentor Program?
JL: I saw mentoring as another growth opportunity for myself – to help someone else achieve major professional goals.
AMADC: You just finished the 2016-2017 session of the program. What did you get out of it?
JL: I really enjoyed how professionally the program was executed, meeting other mentors, and having a really wonderful protégé, who I can now say is a friend!
AMADC: What advice do you have for protégés?
JL: Always look for ways to enhance your professional growth, even if it doesn’t seem obvious at the time. I wasn’t sure that mentoring would really help me grow, but it opened my eyes to other opportunities. I learned that there are other areas in which I could use my professional skills, and am in the process of now expanding my consultancy to offering other marketing data analysis services.
Be a part of AMADC’s 2017-2018 Mentor Program. AMADC is now accepting applications for its 2017-18 Mentor Program: Mentor Application | Protégé Application
Under the sponsorship of the Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP)—the eight-month program is focused on building relationships that foster sharing, learning, and career growth and will officially kick off October 4th (with an orientation and a social) and conclude with an end-of-year celebration event at the end of April 2018. Mentors and protégés will both benefit from flexible scheduling and ongoing support that allows for real career building and first-rate networking (including complimentary access to all AMADC events and programming!). Seats are limited (only 20 spots available for mentors and protégés). Cost is $175 for protégés to participate; mentors are free. Mentor and protégé applications are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted by Sept. 17 to be considered for the 2017-2018 program.